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Forgive and Forget; how many times has someone drilled those words into your head during your childhood? I remember being at my church's 56 club (fifth and sixth graders) when I was in fifth grade. A couple of girls who had been there for a few months were a part of an organization that housed abused children until they were adopted. They really liked me and my friends, so they sat next to us every Wednesday night. I remember one girl who had an abusive father. I came to church one time and she greeted me at the door. "Guess what!" she said, "My mom died!" "Oh," I replied. She started laughing. "I'm like, 'My mom just died.' and you're like, 'Oh.'" "Wanna see pictures?" she asked when I didn't say anything.
I didn't understand at first. How could that girl be HAPPY that her mom died? As she flipped through her mini album, she pointed at a picture of her and a young overweight woman with puffy eyes and scraggly hair. "That's her," the girl said. She told me that her mother took too much of her medicine to make her die. The next picture was of the girl, her mom, and her dad. "If you ever see that man, run away and tell the police. I hate him!" she said "The bible says we need to love everyone," a teacher interjected. A crazy, bug-eyed look crossed the girl's pretty complexion. "Are you kidding me? He tried to KILL me and my mom!". "The bible also says we need to forgive everyone. Maybe the devil's got a hold of him," said the teacher. That was the end of our discussion because the service was about to start.
The mysterious girl stopped coming a few weeks later because she had been adopted. I don't even remember what her name was. To this day, several years later, I still wonder what happened to her. Will she turn out like her mom? Will her adopted parents treat her well?
But the real question I've been wondering is: Do we have to forgive EVERYBODY? I mean, if your father tried to strangle you, what would you do? How could you ever be a happy little bouncy girl like that one again? Those are some hard questions. I guess forgiveness for some just comes naturally. Like a gift. That little girl from Sunday school had such a cheerful attitude, and there are teens who stay in their room all day, wallowing in pity over nothing. So it must depend on who you are. Is the world a black hole, or a golden gate? It's all in perspective.
So I've come here today to say that holding a grudge is way easier than letting it go. I mean, how could that girl "steal" your "boyfriend" of whom doesn't even know your first name? How could that boy have cheated off your test in fourth grade? (Okay, it sounds a little unrealistic, but I've heard of that happening.) For kids like that one that I knew in fifth grade, you may never forgive your dad. But, I hope, you can forgive your own dad for grounding you from computer for a week.
Think Whyville. Just think.
We could all use a little forgiveness.
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